One-sided separable fastener



July 23, 1963 L. H. MORIN 3,093,277

ONE-SIDED SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed April 21. 1961 INVENTOR. Lou/5 H. Mom/v HTTORNEY United States Patent 3,098,27 7 ONE-SIDED SEPARABLE FASTENER Louis H. Morin, 125 Beechwood Ave, Bronx, N.Y. Filed Apr. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 104,733 19 Claims. (Cl. 24-2051) This invention relate to separable fastener stringers, wherein the scoops are fixed to one surface only of the stringer tapes, producing what I term a one-sided fastener, wherein scoops of coupled stringers become invisible when viewing the fastener from the other surface of the coupled stringers. More particularly, the invention deals with separable fasteners of the character described, wherein the scoops of one stringer have a direct coupling engagement with aline-d scoops on the companion stringer, dilfering in this respect from conventional stringer constructlons, wherein the scoop of one stringer interlocks with a pair of scoops of a companion stringer.

Still more panticulariy, the invention deals with a fastener, wherein the scoops of each stringer includes at its coupling end portion a hook-shaped coupling member engaging a correspondingly formed socket in the scoop of the companion stringer and, wherein, at least the scoops of one stringer move over shelf portions of the scoops of the companion stringer in the operation of the coupling and uncoupling the stringers.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged diagrammatic plan view of two interengaged scoops of a fastener made according to my invention, with part of the construction broken away and in section.

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating more accurately the contour of the scoops, which contour is omitted in the diagrammatic showing of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section, similar to FIG. 2, taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bracketed plan view showing two portions of a pair of stringers, one part showing the scoops coupled and the other part illustrating the separation of coupling of the scoops.

FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, showing another form of stringer and scoop construction; and

FIG. 6 is a section on the line 66 of FIG. 5.

The ifastener forming the subject matter of this application differs from conventional separable fasteners in having the scoops of one stringer directly couple alined scoops of the companion stringer instead of having the scoops of one stringer directly engage and interlock with pairs of scoops of the companion stringer.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, I have shown at 10 and 11 two dilferent stringer tapes, the tape 10 having spaced beads 12, 13; whereas, the tape 11 has a pair of closely adjacent beads 14. The tape adjacent edges abut, as seen at 15.

Scoops 16 are attached to the beaded surface of the tape 10 and scoops 17 are attached to the beaded surface of the tape 11. Adjacent corner portions of the scoops are bevelled, as seen at 16, 17', to facilitate coupling and uncoupling of the scoops, as indicated in FIG. 4 of the drawing. In forming the scoops 16 and 17 of molded or die cast materials, the materials will extend into the interstices of the braid of the tapes and beads in establishing secure coupling of the scoops to the one surface only of the tapes. The scoops 16 and 17 have, at one side thereof, abutting portions 18 and 19, respectively, which abut, as indicated at 20 in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The

3,998,277 Patented July 23, 1963 "ice portion 18 of each of the scoops 16 has a slot or keyway 21 adapted to receive keys 22 on the portion 19 of the scoop 17 in alining the scoops one with the other in coupling and uncoupling the same, the keys 22 having slightly rounded portions, as indicated in FIG. 3, to facilitate engagement with the keyways 21.

The scoops 16 and 17 have, on the coupling end portions thereof, hook-shaped coupling members 23 and 24, respectively, the member 23 being on the surface of 16 adjacent the tape; whereas, the member 24 is on the exposed surface of each of the scoops 17 and rides over the member 23 in establishing a metal to metal coupling engagement between the scoops, preventing separation thereof and also giving long life to the stringers.

The scoops 16 have female sockets 25 and the scoops 17 have sockets 26 for receiving the coupling members 24, 23, respectively, and it will be apparent that the members 23, including the portions 23 thereof disposed within the sockets 25, collectively form wear shelves, over which the coupling members 24 ride. The outer upper ends of these wear shelves are rounded, as seen at 23" in FIG. 2 of the drawing, for guidance of the member 24 over the member 23.

It will appear from the foregoing description and consideration of the drawing that the scoops 16 are shorter in length than the scoops 17 and this, in addition to the arrangement of beads on the respective stringers, distinguishes one tringer from the other. With structures of this type and kind and the opposed arrangement of the scoops on the stringers, a wider spacing of scoops is provided and, further, a greater flexibility of bending or fold ing the coupled stringers will result. Structure of this type and kind will also minimize the number of scoops provided on each stringer. These features will also apply to the structures shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings, I have shown a separable fastener composed of two similar stringers 27, 27, each having a pair of beads 28, 28 attached to the surface thereof to which the scoops 29, 29 are attached, as previously stated. The coupling end portions of each of the scoops have hookshaped coupling members 30, 30' operatively engaging female coupling sockets 31, 31', the latter generally conforming to the contour of the members 31), 30'. The members 30, 39 are disposed at outer or exposed surfaces of the scoops 29, 29' and operate over shelf portions 32, 32' in the sockets 31, 31 to again establish the metal to metal contact between the scoops, as with the structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive. It will clearly appear, from a consideration of FIG. 6 of the drawing, that the coupling head 30 operates over the shelf 32 in entering the socket 31'; where as, the head 30 operates over the shelf 32 in entering the socket 31.

Considering FIG. 5 of the drawing, it will appear that inner adjacent surfaces of the shelves 32, 32' are angularly arranged with respect to the abutting edges 33 of the tapes 27, 27'. Outer side edges of the scoops or the hook-shaped members thereof have projecting rounded portions 34, 34. These projecting portions would abut to check separation of the stringers, in the event that lateral separation was stressed sufiiciently to tend to move the coupling members 30, 30 out of the sockets 31', 31.

The longitudinal parting line of the tapes 10 and 11 is shown at 15 where the inside edges of the tapes abut each other when the fastener stringers are joined together. Likewise the longitudinal parting line of the scoops in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4 is a line passing through abutting edges 20 and parallel to the tape edges. In this art the conventional term is parting line but the expression parting plane could also be used and this would be a plane passing through either of the parting lines" described above and perpendicular to the plane of the tapes.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A one-sided separable fastener comprising a pair of stringer tapes, each tape having bead means projecting on one surface and spaced from one edge thereof, scoops fixed to said surface of the tapes, the scoops of one stringer being directly opposed to the scoops of the opposed stringers when said stringers are coupled together, the scoops of each stringer having at coupling end portions thereof projecting hooksha;ped coupling members operatively engaging sockets in the scoops of a companion stringer in coupling the stringers together, the scoops of at least one stringer having a Wear shelf, over which the coupling members of the scoops of the opposed stringer ride in coupling and uncoupling said stringers, said shelf having a wear surface superimposed but spaced from and parallel to the surface of the tape to which the scoops are attached, and the longitudinal parting line of said scoops spaced transversely of said stringer tapes from the longi tudinal parting line of said tapes 2. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the bead means on one stringer comprises spaced beads and on the opposed stringer a pair of closely adjacent beads.

3. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 2, wherein the scoops of the last named stringer are of greater length than the scoops of the first named stringer.

4. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the scoops of both stringers include at one side thereof abutting portions, and means for keying the abutting portions one with the other when the stringers are coupled.

5. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 4, wherein said keying means comprises a keyway on the scoops of one stringer and a key on the scoops of llhfi opposed stringer.

6. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the coupling member of the scoops of the one stringer is disposed adjacent the tape of said stringer, and the coupling member of the scoops of the opposed stringer is spaced from the surface of said tape.

7. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 6, wherein the coupling members of the first mentioned scoops form said wear shelves, over which the coupling members of the second named scoops ride in coupling and uncoupling the stringers.

8. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the tapes of both stringers and the scoops attached thereto are of the same construction, and the female socket portions of each of the scoops include said wear shelves, over which the coupling members of the scoops of the opposed stringers ride in coupling and uncoupling the stringers.

9. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 8, wherein one side of the scoops on each stringer have projecting rounded portions, and said rounded portions being adjacent on coupled stringer to provide means checking stringers against forcible mismcshing.

10. A one-sided separable fastener as defined in claim 8, wherein the wear shelves of the scoops of both stringers have exposed edges arranged angularly to abutting edges of the tapes of coupled stringers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l,746,565 Sundback Feb. 11, 1930 2,074,624 Schweinburg Mar. 23, 1937 2,554,929 Sundback May 29, 1951 2,736,940 Morin Mar. 6, 1956 2,888,727 Heimherger June 2, 1959 FORElGN PATENTS 548,898 Germany Apr. 21, 1932 

1. A ONE-SIDED SEPARABLE FASTENER COMPRISING A PAIR OF STRINGER TAPES, EACH TAPE HAVING BEAD MEANS PROJECTING ON ONE SURFACE AND SPACED FROM ONE EDGE THEREOF, SCOOPS FIXED TO SAID SURFACE OF THE TAPES, THE SCOOPS OF ONE STRINGER BEING DIRECTLY OPPOSED TO THE SCOOPS OF THE OPPOSED STRINGERS WHEN SAID STRINGERS ARE COUPLED TOGETHER, THE SCOOPS OF EACH STRINGER HAVING AT COUPLING END PORTIONS THEREOF PROJECTING HOOK-SHAPED COUPLING MEMBERS OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SOCKETS IN THE SCOOPS OF A COMPANION STRINGER IN COUPLING HE STRINGERS TOGETHER, THE SCOOPS OF AT LEAST ONE STRINGER HAVING A WEAR SHELF, OVER WHICH THE COUPLING MEMBERS OF THE SCOOPS OF THE OPPOSED STRINGER RIDE IN COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING SAID STRINGERS, SAID SHELF HAVING A WEAR SURFACE SUPERIMPOSED BUT SPACED FROM AND PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE OF THE TAPE TO WHICH THE SCOOPS ARE ATTACHED, AND THE LONGITUDINAL PARTING LINE OF SAID SCOOPS SPACED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID STRINGER TAPES FROM THE LONGTUDINAL PARTING LINE OF SAID TAPES. 